Surgical instrument.



J. T. LANDIS.

SURGICAL'INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.19:7.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR (mew 7A AWD/S} A TTORNEVS J. T. LANDlS.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 3. 1911.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918 2 SHEETSSHEET 2- W/T/VESSES l/VVE/V TOR I J/ziz ZZZ/mam A TTORA/EYS JOHN TQWNSEND LANDIS, 0F NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

Applicationflled July 3, 1917. Serial No. 178,340. g

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN T. LANms,'a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Surgical Instruments, of 'which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in surgical instruments, and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified for the treatment of hemorrhoids wherein a ball is provided to be inserted in the rectum, and having a neck adapted to extend through the sphincter muscle and connected to a base shaped to fit the parts-the ball being bored to permit the passage of a medicament, and wherein acontainer for the medicament is detachably connected with the base to deliver the medicament.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the device,

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 22 and 33 respectively of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44'of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section through the medicament container, detached.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modified form of container.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a modified form of base. V

Fig. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of support.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the same. y

In the present embodiment of the invention, a ball 1 is provided having a reduced neck 2, which connects the ball with a base 3. The ball is shown as bored, to communicate through the neck with a recess 5 in the base, and radial openings 4 lead outwardly from the bore.

The neck is corrugated annularly, as indicated at 6, and just before its junction with the base,. the neck gradually enlarges to form a tapering portion 7. At this portion 7 the base of the neck is reamed or counterbored as shown at 8, to receive the nipple 9 of a container 10, shaped to fit within the recess 5.

This container 10 is a collapsible box or case, the lower wall 11 of the container fits within the body of the box or case, and the bottom wall may be forced inwardly to expel a portion of the contents.

The container is held in place by. a ring l3, which engages cooperating and registermg grooves in the nipple'9 and in the coun terbore. A gasket 14 is arranged between the end of the nipple and the inner end of the counterbore, to seal the space against the escape of medicament.

When the case or box is not in place in the instrument the nipple may be sealed by a cap 15, which is held to the nipple by crimping it into the groove.

In use, the container is filled with the medicament and placed in the recess and the ball is pushed into the rectum until the base engages the funda-ment. The contractions of the involuntary sphincter muscle acting ontheball, tend to draw the ball farther in and to hold the base firmly up against theparts, affording suflicient support to prevent protrusion.

The ribs or corrugations cause the piles to work upward, and the base is large enough to extend well beyond the tender portions of the anus. Whenever desired, the medicament may be applied, directly to the affected area, as for instance at predetermined intervals.

In practice the container will be filled at the manufacturing laboratory, and the cap will not be removed until the container is ready to be placed in the recess of the base. So applied the medicament will not be wasted, but all will be utilized, and there will be no soiling 'of the clothing.

The conical or tapering portion of the neck will tend to'lift the piles, causing them in a manner to flow upward and the grooves or corrugations 6 it will be noticed are arranged to impede the descent of the piles. That is the u per wall of each rib is more abrupt than t e lower wall.

The base is so shaped that when the wearer sits, the ball will be tilted backward, to cause it to follow the passage of the rectum to avoid injuryto the walls thereof. With the container removed, the device furnishes an excellent, means 'for relieving gas accumulations.

When the device is in place, the ball is just above the involuntary sphincter muscle,

the said ball resting on the muscle, as itwere, and it is the involuntary contraction of the muscle that holds the device well up in place. The squeezing of the said muscle about the lower portion of the ball exerts continually a pulling action on the neck.

The principal object of the device is to su port or hold up the piles; the voluntary sp mcter muscle acting on the corrugations causing the piles to flow upward.

In practice the cap may be held on the nipple in the manner shown, or the nipple may be internally threaded to receive a screw plug. When the device is used for relieving gas accumulations, the container 1s removed, leaving a free outlet for the gases.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the base 16 has the walls of the recess 17 undercut, and the container 18 has a beaded edge 19 for engaging in the recess. The top of the container 1s crimped down on a flange at the edge of the body to form the bead. t

A split expansion ring 23) is pressed into the recess over the bead or crimp, and the expanding of the ring will cause it to engage the undercut Wall of the recess to hold the box or container in place.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown another embodiment of the invention, wherein the ball 20 is of solid rubber as is also the base 21,

and the ball and base are connected by a neck 22 of soft rubber. ridges 23 corresponding to the ridges 6 of Fig. 1 and similarly shape/d.

The embodiment just described is designed as a dilator and supporter. The hard rubber ball and hard rubber base are vulcanized to the soft flexible rubber neck or stem. With this construction the ball may adapt itself to changes of position without causing pressure on the parts.

The containers 10 may be closed until ready for use by plugs 18, which are threaded into the nipple 9. When ready for use the plug is removed. 7, Or the cap 15 may be used as may be desired. The bottoms of the containers are collapsible, so that by collapsing the bottoms the contents may be forced out.

I claim 1. A device of the character specified,

The neck has the comprising a hollow ball, a base having recess in one face, and a hollow neck connecting the ball to the base and forming a, communication between the ball and the recess, said ball having radial openings, a collapsible container for a medicament shaped to fit within the recess and having a discharge nipple, the neck being counterbored to receive the nipple, and means in connection with the vnipple and neck for detachably holding the container in place, the neck having external upwardly facing rounded shoulders, and having a frusto-conical portion at the base.

2. A device of the character specified, comprising a hollow ball, a base-having recess in one face, and a hollow neck connecting the ball to the base and forming a communication between the ball and the recess, said ball having radial openings, a collapsible container for a medicament shaped to fit within the recess and having a discharge nipple, the neck being counterbored to receive the nipple, and means .in connection with the nipple and neck for detachably holding the container in place.

3. A device of the character specified, comprising a ball or head, a base, and a neck connecting the base and head, said base and head being of hard rubber, and the neck of soft flexible rubber, and the said head, neck and base being vulcanized together, the neck having annular ribs, said ribs having their lower faces inclined and their upper faces abrupt. I

4. In a device of the character specified, a base having a recess in its under side provided with undercut sidezw ls, and a hollow stem extending fronigthej; pper side'and communicating with. the recess, a container for the fee/ass, having a marginal extension at its top for engaging the undercut wall, and .a split expansion ring for engaging over the extension.

JOHN TOW 'NSEND LAN DIS. 

